Dr. Hillary Napier-Gondek is a recent graduate of our Post-Professional OTD program- she presented her final capstone project during a virtual symposium on May 7th along with the rest of her cohort. Sharon Gartland, OT Program Director, who has advised Hillary over the last three years said, “Hillary is one of the most persistent and hard-working people I know. She takes initiative in finding help and support and isn’t afraid to ask for feedback and then respond to it.”
Hillary is committed to excellence as an educator, and her project examines a new training method aimed at teaching students important non-technical skills that will allow them to become excellent practitioners. “My capstone project has been a work in progress since 2014 when I first learned about arts-based training programs” says Hillary, “With mentorship and educational coursework in the PPOTD program, I was able to analyze an arts-based training program through a mixed methods study. I am looking to disseminate my work in an appropriate peer-reviewed journal.”
In her presentation, which you may view below, Hillary discusses quantitative and qualitative findings that suggest that “arts-based training programs can improve students ability to reduce their bias and identify evolving perspectives through implementation of a mindfulness lens” [10:19]. Furthermore, arts-based training programs directly impact the development of non-technical skills that improve mindfulness, and rapport building with clients. Participants in a training program had this to say about their experience [9:44]:
“Observing the painting without reading the description made it very difficult to interpret the story…and [it] can be equally as hard to treat a client without knowing them as a person and what they value most in life.”
“They were compelled to understand different mindsets other than [their own] and ultimately engage in both active listening and introspective through of which enhanced [their] clinical skills of comprehension, empathy, and creativity.”
Clearly non-technical skills are important for students to become excellent practitioners- Hillary argues that there must be a conscious effort to teach these skills to students and that arts-based training programs can help provide new learning opportunities.
“Through the UW-Madison post-professional OTD program I have gained knowledge, skills and confidence in leadership and scholarly activities. This program fueled my interest in obtaining a full-time academic position. As a transition after graduation, I have obtained a position as the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator/Clinical Assistant Professor in a developing occupational therapy program at DePaul University. I am deeply appreciative of the UW-Madison PPOTD program and my personal mentors for the last three years of this program” says Hillary.
Throughout her career and time with the program, she has blossomed into an excellent leader in creative and evidence based practices for occupational therapy education. We are so proud to have students like Hillary who are entering the field with fresh perspectives and ideas that will allow our profession to adapt to the ever changing needs of our society.
Congratulations Dr. Napier-Gondek!